Author Origin: North York, ON
Page Count: 382
Genre: Fiction
Difficulty: Medium
Grade Level: 11+
Key Talking Points: The psychological and physical trauma of war, indigenous culture and history
Sensitive Subject Matter: Violence, war, sexuality, drug addiction
Warning: The book presents the sensitive subject matter with beautiful language, but both the sex and violence can be graphic in description.
Summary: The novel traces two main time periods, and is narrated by two protagonists: Niska and Xavier. Niska narrates the present and is an older Oji-Cree woman who journeys out of the bush on the southern end of Hudson Bay and into the world of the wemistikoshiw (Non-indigenous/White) to meet a young soldier returning from the first world war. Xavier is Niska's nephew, and went off to war with Elijah, his childhood friend, but returns alone. It becomes quickly apparent that Xavier is struggling to live on this side of the conflict, with a devastating injury leading to a crippling morphine addiction. The story follows Niska and Xavier as she tries to bring him 'home.' Despite his struggles to stay in the present, Xavier slips into his memories of the war more often than he likes, finding himself in a "strange place where all the world's trouble explodes" (22). The memories range from moments he is proud of, to small captured joys with friends, to the terror and shame of acts committed on the battlefield. Life in the trenches is vividly painted for the reader with very little held back. In order to help Xavier with his pain and his addiction, Niska tells him stories of her youth, adding yet another, although less prominent, narrative time period to the mix. These stories give a taste of some of the traditions of the Cree people, as well as experiences inside residential schools, also building the character of Niska, showing some of her own love and loss.
Some of the things I really loved about this novel are in the smaller moments of humanity within the larger, sweeping descriptions of the war. For example, while describing the everyday duties of a soldier, Xavier offers us this: "we gather in our small groups, open our tins of bully beef, smoke cigarettes and clean our equipment. We try to stay dry in the rain by erecting pieces of canvas over us like little tents, but it's near impossible. We repair trenches blown apart in the bombardments the night before and collect the dead for the stretcher-bearers to pick up when they can. Those who aren't collected we bury the best we're able in the trench sides when they begin to swell and stink. I make sure to thank them for helping to strengthen the trench line, tell them that even in death they are still helping" (81). Xavier's unique and distinct perspective on many of the war-time experiences, due to both his individual personality and his indigenous identity, add a new flavour to the old story of WWI trench warfare. The brutality of war is both beautiful and shameful in Boyden's descriptions.
In his acknowledgments, Boyden references the "Native soldiers" that "fought in the Great War," and specifically mentions his main inspiration for this story, "Francis Pegahmagabow, sniper, scout, and later chief of Wasauksing First Nation (Perry Island)" (283). Using Pegahmagabow as an avenue to explore alternate perspectives of Canadian history could help engage different groups of students in either a History or English classroom.
It is interesting to note that there is some controversy regarding Joseph Boyden's representation of indigenous culture. He claims to have indigenous heritage, but that claim is being somewhat contested by prominent indigenous groups. As of right now, I haven't done enough research to know where I stand on the issue, but would be interested to know whether his representation of some of the Cree traditions that Niska performs are accurate. This could also be an interesting avenue for a student project to take.
Teacher Note: When reading this novel, I instantly thought it would work with a senior grade, and specifically with a social justice theme. The book's depiction of the horrors of war would offer students many areas to investigate. The sexuality is not frequent in the novel, but when it is present, it is not vulgar, but is detailed. Students may struggle a bit with the timeline, as the narrative moves from past to present every few chapters, but there are clear cues at the start of each chapter to help orient the reader. The use of reading strategies such as note taking or chapter summaries could be suggested to help keep track as well. Some of the war terminology may also be a stumbling block for students. I was lucky, I had my history-buff husband that I could just yell questions too. For students, making/keeping a glossary while reading, or having some research notes to support them would be beneficial.
Final Thought: This one hooked me right from the start and there were many moments that I had to pause to take it all in and reflect on what I was reading. It helped that I also travelled to a number of WWI spots this past summer that were mentioned in the novel. Having gone into the tunnels and run through the trenches made it easy to visualize the routes Xavier and Elijah took in the novel. Seeing the German lines and the Canadian lines and how close they were at places like Vimy Ridge really brought home for me the danger that Xavier and Elijah were experiencing daily. Even if you are not a Canadian History enthusiast, I would highly recommend visiting some of these spots where our country gained so much in the way of a global presence, but where so, so much was lost.
Xavier and Niska are both characters that a reader can connect with and care about, and despite the repetitive nature of the storyline (battle here... move on... battle over there, etc.) I still didn't get tired of it. I do have some questions regarding the logistics of the ending, but won't talk about them here so as to not spoil anything. Despite my questions, I was not unhappy with the way it all turned out. A very satisfying read to end 2017 and Canada's 150th year (according to the wemistikoshiw, at least).
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
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